7 Gallon Planted Betta log

I have a 7 Gallon tank that I planted expecting to use it as an extra fry tank, when my other half suggested a Betta would look great in there. I love Bettas, so I enthusiastically agreed!

I hadn't considered the lighting when I started planting it as I am just using plants from my other tanks (currently 13 in total). So this tank is a little experimental and I wanted a place I could track how it developed and what encouraged the best growth.

I will be taking media out of two of my healthy tanks and using TSS to ease the transition. Without further ado, here is what I have so far... The Tank;

LoveFish Concept 27 litre tank.

Play sand substrate.

Built in filter behind the background, I have fitted a stronger powerhead and filled the compartments with a variety of media including sponge, floss, ceramic rings, bio balls and carbon. and have it baffled on the outflow.

Heated to 28c.

Plants;

Ludwigia Repens

Sagittaria Subutala

Cryptocoryne Wendtii

Alternanthera Reineckii

Echonodorus Tenellus

I have some SuBwassertang on the way.

Fish; Our Betta should arrive in just a few hours time. He is a Halfmoon male Betta and has been named Eddie (he is pink, Mr. Pink, Resevoir Dogs, Nice guy Eddie, Eddie in case you were wondering!), here he is before setting off to his new home;

Lighting; Here is where I have been having problems. The room the tank is in receives very good natural light (no direct sunlight) and doesn't require the LED's it came with to light it up. After planting my tank, I realised this may be a problem so I have upgraded the LED's but I am unsure of how strong their light will be. That bit's a waiting game.

Extras;

I will be using Prime conditioner.

He will have Vitachem and Garlic Guard dosed Hikari Betta Bio-Gold and a variety of other foods including bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, tubifex and earthworms.

I plan on dosing Vimi Accelerator and Vimi All-in-one Red.

I have used two types of Root tabs.

How it looks now (okay so this was a couple of days ago I will update the photo in the morning);

Eddie has just arrived He is currently being drip acclimated to his new tank!

Unfortunately his fins seem to have taken a bit of a battering on his journey. He was in a rather small bag but it did have an Indian Almond leaf in it so I am hoping he isn't too stressed out.

I will be keeping his water pristine to aid the fins healing and I am hopeful this will do the trick.

I will upload a photo of him in his new home in a few hours when he's settled into the tank and has his light on.

EDIT: He has been with us around 6 hours now and is beginning to get photogenic. As you can see, his fins look very different from the above picture and his Caudal has two small holes in. I am keeping my fingers crossed that with some nice clean water, he can heal on his own.

Today is day two. I've had the lights on as I have with my other tanks all day (8 hours) and he's been fine. The lights don't really light up his tank as it gets such great daylight so he actually had more light than that.

He is so sweet! He is very friendly which, I wasn't expecting as he was imported from Thailand to the person I purchased him from and he is so tiny! His fins do worry me some but, I know it's early days so I am only treating him with pristine water and my fingers crossed. He is also very photogenic, especially compared to Percy, my other Betta. I don't know if it's because of his pale body and dark eyes or his colouration but he takes very good photos. Although, my phone does him no justice to what his colours are actually like!

I also added some plants today. I added some Alternanthera Roseafolia and some Rotala Rotundifolia, both of which have some lovely pink tones.

Today is day two. I've had the lights on as I have with my other tanks all day (8 hours) and he's been fine. The lights don't really light up his tank as it gets such great daylight so he actually had more light than that.

He is so sweet! He is very friendly which, I wasn't expecting as he was imported from Thailand to the person I purchased him from and he is so tiny! His fins do worry me some but, I know it's early days so I am only treating him with pristine water and my fingers crossed. He is also very photogenic, especially compared to Percy, my other Betta. I don't know if it's because of his pale body and dark eyes or his colouration but he takes very good photos. Although, my phone does him no justice to what his colours are actually like!

eBay of all places! I always keep an eye out for them there. He cost quite a bit but I couldn't help it and he was definitely worth it!x

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He is beautiful & so is Eddie's tank Hollie.

Mine also came from Thailand through a guy in Calif. on Ebay. Same thing - he was in sad shape due to his travels but he is gorgeous & so full of himself in the 5 1/2 months I've had him - I haven't posted pics cause I need to find a good name for him.

I'm far too much of a cheapskate to go out and buy them! silicone, PVC pipe (or jars) and some pebbles, sand, beach glass, glass stones.. works a treat and you can make them the size, shape, colour you want! I don't have a tank without one.xx

I love the way your tanks are planted! They all look very beautiful along with Eddie and the angel fish. I was just gonna bring home some black beach Pebble from my job to place in the tank but your arms and crafts with the caves have just inspired me!

That's cool. I should make some for my tank. Is there a link or video on how to make them?

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For pebbles; I squeeze a thin, wiggly line over the bit I want to stick the pebbles to, then place them on. Or put a small amount of silicone on the pebble itself and stick it that way...

Once covered, allow it to dry. Then (so I don't have to clean it as often) I silicone the gaps. I squeeze in blobs, then use a rubber glove and dip my finger in some water and smooth over it. You don't have to do the last bit but I found it got far too gunky.

You can see the gaps in the second picture, they are filled and smoothed over in the third.

For sand, I use a brush and brush a layer of silicone then roll it in dried sand. Allow to dry and repeat.

Dead easy, but it may take some time. The tricky bit is finding the right size/shape of pebble. I have seen one where the person covered the pipe in silicone and rolled it in gravel, that sounds quite easy. I'm yet to have a go myself!Betta305 Thankyou. Planting is one of my favourite things to do, there's just too many to choose from! It's also much cheaper than buying LFS decor. Pebbles = free, silicone = £2 (covered two jars/two pipes with filling), jars = free, PVC pip = next to nothing. I work them out at about £1-£1.50 per cave

Lovely tank, and thanks for the quick guide on how to make your own little caves - Hunter's tank is currently too... two dimensional for my tastes, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few more places to check out and/or hide in.